Method of reducing iron ore.



J. T. JONES.

METHOD 0F REDUCING IRON' OBE.4 APPLIOATION FILED HAY 12, 1910.

Patented Ja,11.10,1911.

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Patented Jan 10 1911.

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IJ. T. JONES. l METHOD 0F REDUGING IRON ORE.

APPLICATION FILED'MAY 12, 1910.

Patented J an. 10, 1911.

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J. T. JONES.

METHUD OFREDUGING IRON ORB.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1910.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

.MJW E v Y 5; i@ A. i d, w a //f w coperatiomaccomplish the production from JOHN T. JONES, 0F IRON MOUNTAIN, MICHIGAN.

' METHOD or BEDUCINGIBON can.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented'Jan. 10, 1911.

Application led May 12, 1910. Serial No. 560,851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. JONES, a citi.- zen of the United States, residing at Iron Mountain, in the county o'f Dickinson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Method of Reducin Iron Ore, of which the following is a speci cation.

My Objectis to provide a procedure involving a plurality of steps which in theaggregate, when performed in proper sequence and under controlled conditions for suitable iron ore, in its raw,unconcentrated state, of metallic iron in sponge or other unreined form, with peculiar economy in the matters of costof furnace-installation and fuel-consumption, as well asother expenses of operation.

resent method in- The main steps of my rst to preliminary clude vsubjecting the ore heating, in the presence of air, then to the action of a hot, reducing atmosphere, and finally to cooling ina non-oxidizing atmos# phere; and while these steps are not broadlynew and lare'involved in patents hitherto granted to me, the accompanying, ancillary details of the complete method, as hereinf after explained, contribute toward the accomplishment of my .aforesaid object when dealing with ore in large quantity, and `toward the obtaining of a uniform output wherein all the ironoxids have been reduced to metallic iron.

My present method may vbe practiced in a furnace of any suitable type and will be deexplanatory of the -ing and reducing scribed in4 detail 'n connection with the structures illustrated in the accompanying.

drawings, in which- Y Figure 1- is a View, in the nature of a diagra-m, illustrating, in a generalway, a s imple form of upright furnace, with notations conditions through which the ore descends in'its subjectionto the successive steps of the process; Fig. 2, a partly broken, partly sectional and diagrammatic View, in side elevation,` illustrating the type of furnace structure which'I now prefer to employ, for reasons basedu-ponl past experience therewith,- inv practicing my present .improvement; Fig. 3, an enlarged longitudinal section taken at the junction of the preheatkilns shown in Fig. 2;

' a plan section on irregular having yare ischarge-outlets m iron will readily reoxidize.

Fig. 4, an enlarged -section taken on line 4 in Fig. 2; Fig.` 5, an enlarged longitudinal section taken on line 5 in Fig. 4, at the lower, or discharge, end of the furnace; and Fig. 6, line 6-6 in Fig. 5.

'In practicing my improved method, and

referring to the illustration in Fig. 1, a

mixture of iron ore,-'s0ft coal and coke (or charcoal) is fed from a hopper o: through a bell-valve b into the top of a furnace c gas-outlets L In the furnace-wall, say, one-quarter to one-third the length of ythe furnace from its top, are air-inlet openings e preferably equipped with air-supply nozzles, or twyers, f extending from a pipe g which communicates with, say, a hot-airblast supplier, not shown. In the position indicated are openings, wall, equipped with means'for supplying reducing-gas, which means may consist in nozzles :extending from a gas-producer or. aero-pulverizer,` supplying hydrocarbon fuel with just enough air, approximately, tosupport combustion of the fuel on ventering the furnace c.' nace structure is a conical AWater-chamber h, in the furnace- At the lower end'of the furcooling-plate k equipped with water-circulatin pipesZ,'-and adjacent'to said plate for the product. of the furnace-chamber, between theplate k and openings It, forms a soaking-pit and cooling-zone. Thehighest temperature which the ore is permitted to reach in\ the furnace should never equal that necessary to fuse slag-making yconstituents of the ore, and when discharged into The lower part the atmosphere the temperature ofthe ore Should be below I prefer in therefore, to maintain the temperature as nearly as possible in accordance with the temperature scale indicated in Fig. 1. The discharge from the nozzles i is so controlled as to generate a atmosphere maintained, throughout the space between the openings h and e, at -a temperature approximating, sa 1700o F.,

practice,

that at whichl the reducedhighly reducing which is suiiiciently high to e ect the de- Y siredrapid and thorough reduction of oxid of iron, but will melt none of the slag-making constitutents of the ore.l It is to be understood'in this connection that I wish to avoid any fusion of the burden contents, which will render any of them fluid oreven sticky, thereby to the furnace-Wall.

The ore fed to the hopper a is preferably,

though not necessarily, in finely-dividedl neither of which is wanted in the sponge? iron, or the like product, of t-he furnace, and it is largely for this" reason that I feed a comparatively small percentage of soft, preferably bituminous, coal with the ore into the hopper a. Itis also necessary that the j burden shall be non-packing,or interstitial.

to permit the ready passage through it of the preheating and reducing gases, and for this and other reasons, hereinafter explained, I m'ix a comparatively large ercen'tage of coke with the charge. The eed to and discharge from the furnace should be so regulated as tol maintain the top of the burden at approximately the level of the dotted line n. In the descent of the charge through the space between the lines n .and p, designated the preheating zone, the heat of the 4gases rislng thereto from the space between the lines p and 1', designated. the reducing-zone, and excess air entering through the openings e effect distillation of the bitumlnous coal and the burning of more or less of the resultant coke and ofthe coke fed with the charge. ,In practice, I' prefer to control this tem'- perature, by controlling the force and volume of alr entering at e, so as to mamtam a temperature which will heat the ore to la proximately 1700" F. ere vit passes the pane of the openings e. Durin this preeating operation, which takes p ace in an oxidizing atmosphere, the sulfur-content of the ore 1s burned oil' and more or lesscompletely eliminated, whereby, particularly if the fuel entering. at the openin s h is-*sulfurfree, a sponge product Afree om, or very low in, sulfur is obtained from preheating zone is 'gradual and more or ess Islow, whereby the volatile products of decom fuel, which have great affinity for phosphoric acid, willA tend, in a largemeaslre'at least, to collect and carry; off the '.the con d{ zhosphor-content of the orev before phosphorus to the meta The preheated charge enters the reducingzone at approximately the temperature of the latter, say, 1700 and remains vin the reducing atmosphere for a prolonged period of time, whereby on reaching the level r all or nearly alll the iron oxids will have preventing any tendency to-v Ward ytheir clogging the draft or clinging the furnace( The heating of thecharge in the tions reach thosenecessaryto bind ichanged to metal and the ore to a sponge,

portion of the space below the openings L. acts as a soaking-pit in which the ore slowly lloses its temperature ina reducing atmosphere, and Where any metallic oxids that may still remain in the ore will be reduced.

I have found it to be a matter of great difficulty in practice to prevent access of.Y air to the furnace below the reducing zone, and

perature comes under the influence of air it is quickly reoxidized. I may state that it is next to impossible in a practical Way to `prevent air from enteringr the lower end of charged therefrom, andv the entrance of air will also take place at different points below the preheating-zone if valved openings are provided in the furnace-wall, as is often necessary, or at least desirable, pcse of taking temperatures or of inspecting the progress of the' operations Within t-he furnace. The excess of coke which, as before stated, serves the purpose of rendering the burden interstitial, and incidentally aids materially in reduction of the metallic oxids, serves, furthermore,`to rob any incoming air of its oxygen, and t-hus protects the metal against any reoxid'lzing influence until the charge is cooled belowthe temperature at. which the metal-contents will readily reoxidize grade and the resultant sponge iron, or the like, contains a `comparatively small percentage ofslag-making ingredients, a large percentage of the coke may -be screened or otherwise separated and saved from the reduced mass and the latter charged directly into a ballingor other furnace to be treated for the production of merchantable iron. My method, however, is well adaptedfor the ,economical reduction of the lower grades of iron ore, vin lwhich event I prefer to first screen ofi the lump-coke, then e'rush the mass, then subject it to magnetic separation .or jigging, saving the metallic iron in a comparativel pu-re lstate for the further treat-ment. omparatively little fuel is required in carrymg on the operations described, and the coke may be used over again by being charged, as described, with a comparatively small percentage of fresh hydrocharged through the desired, to heat the useful purposes,4

As I have carried on my control havejbeen determined by me, I prefer at present to use-that type of furnace,

naturally if'the reduced ore at a high tem` the furnace-structure While ore is being dis' carbon fuel intothe hoplper a. 'lhe 'gas dis-l 'ent stageo'f-commercially practicable per-` (ir the like unreined,com'lition. The upper for the pur- If the o re treated in the furnace is of hi0'h Aof the accompanying drawings.

6 and 7 are, respectively, upper, or preheating, and lower, or reducing, furnacemembers, each in the form of an inclined cylindrical kiln, supported upon rollers 8 and equipped with means (not shown) for rotating themr on their axes. Extending into the upper end of the kiln 6 is a charginghopper 9,and the lower end of said kiln rotates in a stationary, chambered structure 10. The kiln 7 rotates at its upper end in the lower part ofthe chambered structure, which latter has an inclinedA floor 11 form- 1n frtdm the kiln 6 into the kiln 7. The latter at its lower endrotates -a ainsta yielding, stationary door 12 mountet upon a trunk 13 and held normally closed by weights 14, as indicated. A-short distance above the lower end of the kiln 7, in one side, is anoredischargeopening 15, at which point the said kiln passes through and is surrounded by a stationary hood-structure 16 having an ore-discharge passa e-17. Passing through an opening 19 in t e door 12 is a pipe 20 extending from an aero-pulverizer 21. The device 21 pulverizes bituminous coal fed thereto and 'discharges it, with air to sup port combustion, through the pipe 20.

22l is av lump-coal introducing device hav ing a hopper 23 which is charged with bituminous coal in lumps approximating, say, l--inch to l-inch mesh, which is discharged by means of an ordinary worm-feed, or other i suitable feeding means, v24: Vinto a pipe 25,

to which also leads a `pipe from a blower or air-blast generator, 26. The pipe 25 has a pivoted nozzle 27 passing through a comparatively largeeopenin 28 in the door 12. lThe nozzle carries a sli ing plate, or valve, 29 covering the opening 28 whilepermitting adjustment of the nozzle 27 to different angles in the vertical plane.

The construction involving the aero-pulverizer 21 and means for discharging lumpcoal through the lower end of the kiln, above described, forms the subject-matter of a separate concurrent applicationffiled.

Vby Elmer W. Jones April 8', 1909, Serial No. 485,712. I I

vCoal-dust discharged through the pipe 20 is ignited,- suliicient air being supplied -with jthe coal to support rapid and approximately complete combustion, for the purpose of creating a controlled(u highly-heated and referably neutral, or deoxidizin atmosphere, which fills the kiln 7. The ump-coal ymay be directed at different angles into'the furnace by adjustment of thevnozzle 27, whereby it maybe projected a desired distance, from the lower end, into the kiln to bel distilled by the heat and produce a highly-reducing atmosphere from the open- Y nature.v

a chute to direct material discharged like the device 22 described, to discharge lump bituminous coal, with air, through the lower end of the kiln 6. The excess of an' provided by the blower 31 renders the atmosphere 1n the kiln 6 yoxidizing in its By suitably adjusting the aero-pulverizer, lump-coal feeders and air-blast supplier the heat in the kilns, and the oxidizing and deoxidizing natures of the atmospheres therein, may be ccntroll'cd within narrow llmits.

l find it very desirable in. practice, in the present instance, to maintain the kiln 7, be-` tween the discharge opening 15 and the chamber 10, at a temperature anproxlmating 1700Q F., and the lower, approximately one-third, of the kiln 6 at about the same ten'lperature.

In operating the furnace I mix the iron ore to be reduced with carbonaceousmaterial, preferably coke, the coke equallngor exceeding in quantity the iron ore with which it is mixed. This mixture is charged into the hopper 9 and fed regularly or intermittently into the upper end of the k'iln 6. The feed may be so regulated as to malntam the furnace throughout, say, one-third full: that is to say, the material as it is advanced by the rotation of the kilns fills the same to approximately the level indicated bythe dotted line 34 inv Fig. 3. A s the mixture 1s advanced along the kiln 6 it is constantly stirred and turned over by the rotation of the kiln, so that all parts thereof are exposed to the heat. The heat absorbed by the mixture naturally lowers the temperature in the .upper part of the kiln 6 which, in practice,

is` thus reduced to approximately 400 F.

The mixture therefore moves along through a gradually-increasing temperature which, by the time the mixture reaches the chamber 6, has raised the same to approximately 17009 F. Y In the movement of the mixture -through the kiln 6-the fresh coal from the injector 33'will be distilled land part of the coke will be consumed, the temperature thus given off being taken into consideration, but most of the coke will be'still unconsumed on reaching the chamber' 10and upper end of the kiln 7. It will be understood that any sulfur-contents of the mixture will be burned off in its passage throughthe kiln 6. While in the description in connection with Fig. 1v

I stated that the fresh fuel is there fed with the ore'and coke from the hopper afor the Ipurpose explained, in the present casey the 1 0 ing atmosphere the reducing nature of which is enhanced by vthe incandescent coke in the ore-inixture. As the mixture moves slowly downward from the chamber 10 to the outlet 15 (a distance, feet) it is subjected for a prolonged time under a temperature approximating,v say, 1700o F. to the reducing action of the deoxidizing atmosphere, whereby the iron oxids are changed to metallic iron. Thus, on reaching the discharge-opening l5 the mixture will consist of metallic iron, slag-making constituents and a large remaining percentage of unconsumed coke.

The hood structure 16 is provided to prevent, as far as possible, access of air to the kilny through the lintermittent-discharge opening 15 as the kiln is turned. To prevent the crowding of ore-mixture between the kiln and 3.0 opening 15, the ore-discharge passage 17 is enlarged, at one side,

ber 38. .The base of the chamber 36 is conia conical water-jacket' casting 39 to whichwat'er is fed through a cal and covered by pipe 40 and from which water is discharged through a pipe 41. Around the lower part of the pit below the to of the cone 39 is an annular series of disc large-openings 42, and surroundingthe pit in the chamber 38 'is a circular carrier 43 supported on rollers 44 and provided with means, not', shown, for

. moving it continually in t-he direction of the arrow in Fig. 5. The carrier is surrounded by a flange 45. At the point 46 below the plane of the openings 42 is a discharge -chut-e leading from the inner side of the carrier to a traveling belt conveyer 47. EX-

tending ,acr'oss the carrier tothe flange thereof at one side of the A,chute 46 is a sera er 48.' In ractice, the discharge of ore rom the carrier 43 throu h the chute 4 6 to the carrier '47 should equal the discharge from the furnace into the pit,

full at all times. at the point, orbapproxrin practice, of about 100 1 hood-'structure adjacent tothe tion, to the influence o f the opening 'massthrough a fm'osphere to preheatthe, distil the -fuel'and burn/off any sulfur-content of the ore, and' then passing the preheated Amass 13o whereby the latter may be maintained approximately The openingsaiegilled withv the yreduced ijnaterial fwhich tends to prevent access of more air to the soakingpit than the hot cake vwill absorb, so that as the lmass descendsy and is gradually cooled owing to the influence of the water-cooled plate39, it will remain in a reducing atmosany ircnoxids that may be, by any chance, discharged from lthe kiln while the\reduced material as it enters the top of the soaking-pit will have a temperature of, say, 170.0o F., this temperature will y be reduced' to 500 F., or lower, where the material passes to the conveyer, at which '.plierewhich will complete the reduction of 7. In practice,

latter temperature it does not readily reoxidize. I prefer that the mass being treated, as described, shall'not* be raised above a temperature of approximately 1700 F., at any step inthe process, which temperature is safel below-that necessary to ren er fluid, or at all sticky, any of the slag-making constituents of the ore. This results in great economy in fuel consumptiomas the coke, when separated from the mass after its discharge rom the soaking-pit, may be used over again, as before stated. The prolonged subjection of the metallized. iron in the lower part of the kiln 7 and upper portion of the soaking-pit, in a highly heated condithe highly heated coke, effects a process of cementation, wherein a small percentage of carbon is absorbed by the iron, and raises, to a more or less slight extent, the fixed carbon content of the metal, depending upon the length of time the necessary temperature is maintained. This fixed carbon acts as a protector against oxidation of the metal, when, for exam le, the further treatment thereof is in a balling furnace, and is necessary in the event of conversion of the iron to steel. It is an easy matter in the construction shown to regulate the time during which cementation will take place in the soaking pit, by regulating the rapidity ofdischarge onto the carrier 43 with reference to the feed into the top of the pit. i v

ile I prefer to employ the apparatus shown and described in carrying out the steps of my improved method, the said apparatus may, of course, be variously modiied without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the claims. What I-regard -as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 4 1. Theherein-described treatment'of ore, to reduce its metallic-oxid content to metal, which'eonsistsin mixing with the dre fresh hydrocarbon fuel and passing the mixed highly-heated oxidizin ,at-

esh

iis

through a hot deoxidizing atmosphere to reduce the metallic oxids to meta'l without rendering fluid any metallic or slagemaking constituents of the mass.

2. The herein-described treatment of ore, t0 reduce its metallic-oxid content to metal, which consists in mixing with the ore coke, in lump form,' and fresh hydrocarbon fuel and passing the mixed mass through a highly-heated oxidizing atmosphere to preheat the ore, distil the fresh fuel and burn off any sulfur-content of the` ore, and then passing the preheated mass through a hot deoxidizing atmosphere to reduce the metallic oxids to metal Withoutvrendering fluid any metallic or slag-making constituents of the mass.

3. The herein-described treatment of ore, to reduce its metallic-oxid content to metal, which consists in mixing with the ore coke, in lump form, heating the 'said mixture, then mixing therewith fresh hydrocarbon. fuel, thereupon passing the mixed mass through a highly-heatedoxidizing atmosphere to pre- -heat the ore, distil the fresh fuel and burn off any sulfur-content 0f the ore, and then passing' the preheated mass through a hot deoxidizing atmosphere to reduce the metallic oxids to metal Without rendering fluid any metallic or ,slag-making constituents of the mass.

'4. The herein-described treatment of ore, to reduce its metallic-oxid content to metal, which consists in mixing with the ore coke, in lump form, and fresh hydrocarbon fuel, passing the mixed mass through a highlyheated oxidizing atmosphere to preheat the ore, distil the fresh fuel and burn ot'f any sulfur-content of the ore, then passing the preheated mass through a hot deoxidizing atmosphere to reduce the metallic oxids to metal Without rendering fluid any metallic or slag-making constituents of the mass, and

subjecting the hot reduced ore in the presence of the remaining coke in the mass to soaking and cooling under confinement in a nonoxidizing atmosphere.

The method of reducing iron oxids -in ore to metallic iron, which consists in mixing with the ore coke, in lump form, and fresh hydrocarbon fuel, passing the mixed mass through a controlled oxidizing atmosphere of increasing temperature, to distil the fresh fuel and burn off any sulfur-content of the ore and preheat the ore to a degree nearing,

without reaching, the fusing point of any of its slag-making constituents, consuming part only of the carbonaceous material 1n the mixture to aid in obtaining said temperature, then passing the preheated ore and unconsumed coke through a 4deoxidizing atmosphere at a temperature that will reduce the iron oxids to metallic iron Without rendering' the slag-making constituents fluid, and causing the highly-heated uncons'umed coke to shield the reducedl iron against reoxidation during any change in the atmosphere from a deoxidizing to a reoxidizing condition.

CnAs. E. GAYLORD, RALPH A. SGHAEEER. 

